Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

How can we give animals the best life — for them? What does an animal need to be happy? In her groundbreaking, best-selling book Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her experience as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into how animals think, act, and feel. Now she builds on those insights to show us how to give our animals the best and happiest life — on their terms, not ours. Knowing what causes animals physical pain is usually easy, but pinpointing emotional distress is much harder. Drawing on the latest research and her own work, Grandin identifies the core emotional needs of animals and then explains how to fulfill the specific needs of dogs and cats, horses, farm animals, zoo animals, and even wildlife. Whether it's how to make the healthiest environment for the dog you must leave alone most of the day, how to keep pigs from being bored, or how to know if the lion pacing in the zoo is miserable or just exercising, Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures.

Animals Make Us Human is the culmination of almost thirty years of research, experimentation, and experience. This is essential reading for anyone who's ever owned, cared for, or simply cared about an animal.

Review:

"Provocative...We're lucky to have Temple Grandin." New York Times

Review:

"A well-written, down-to-earth look into the lives of lots of animals, including animals that make up part of our food chain. Grade: A" Rocky Mountain News

Review:

"The text provides thought-provoking scenarios and references several animal studies...readers will be able to glean new perspectives about animal welfare." Library Journal

Synopsis:

With the groundbreaking Animals in Translation, Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her distinguished career as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into how animals think. Now she builds on those insights to show how to give animals the best and happiest life. (Animals/Pets)

Synopsis:

The author of Animals in Translation employs her own experience with autism and her background as an animal scientist to show how to give animals the best and happiest life.

Video

About the Author

TEMPLE GRANDIN earned her Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and went on to become a professor at Colorado State University. She is the author of four previous books, including the national bestsellers Thinking in Pictures and Animals in Translation. Grandin spearheaded reform of the quality of life and humaneness of death for the worlds farm animals. Through her company, Grandin Livestock Systems, she works with the countrys fast-food purveyors to monitor the conditions of animal facilities worldwide. She lectures widely on both animal science and autism.

CATHERINE JOHNSON, Ph.D., is a writer specializing in neuropsychiatry and the brain. She cowrote Animals in Translation and served as a trustee of the National Alliance for Autism Research for seven years. She lives with her husband and three sons&#8212;two of whom have autism&#8212;in New York.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 4 comments:

Miranda Robertson, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by Miranda Robertson)
This is definitely my favorite of Temple Grandin's books. It's a beautiful combination of scientific studies and practical observation working to answer the question; what does a good life for animals look like? Perhaps the greatest thing I took away from this book is that there IS a difference between good and bad factory farms, and that animals CAN be humanely raised and slaughtered if the right systems are in place. This is a distinction I didn't even know existed and it's changed how I think about my pets, the zoos I visit, and the food I eat. Can't wait to get her next book!

Miranda Robertson, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by Miranda Robertson)
This is definitely my favorite of Temple Grandin's books. It's a beautiful combination of scientific studies and practical observation working to answer the question; what does a good life for animals look like? Perhaps the greatest thing I took away from this book is that there IS a difference between good and bad factory farms, and that animals CAN be humanely raised and slaughtered if the right systems are in place. This is a distinction I didn't even know existed and it's changed how I think about my pets, the zoos I visit, and the food I eat. Can't wait to get her next book!

Michelle Siegel, August 4, 2012 (view all comments by Michelle Siegel)
This fascinating book has a lot of insights into the higher picture of how behavior works in animals, and into the devilish details of dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, and chickens. It also covers zoos and wildlife more generally though with specific anecdotes. The most mind blowing moments happen when you realize, or Temple Grandin points out, that understanding humanity has an awful lot in common with animal husbandry. This is easily in my list of top 5 nonfiction books ever read.

"Review"
by New York Times,
"Provocative...We're lucky to have Temple Grandin."

"Review"
by Rocky Mountain News,
"A well-written, down-to-earth look into the lives of lots of animals, including animals that make up part of our food chain. Grade: A"

"Review"
by Library Journal,
"The text provides thought-provoking scenarios and references several animal studies...readers will be able to glean new perspectives about animal welfare."

"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
With the groundbreaking Animals in Translation, Grandin drew on her own experience with autism as well as her distinguished career as an animal scientist to deliver extraordinary insights into how animals think. Now she builds on those insights to show how to give animals the best and happiest life. (Animals/Pets)

"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
The author of Animals in Translation employs her own experience with autism and her background as an animal scientist to show how to give animals the best and happiest life.

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